Mental Health & Wellness Restorative Weekend Application
Our weekends for the 2024 Season will open shortly - please continue to check our website and social media.
*Please note - You must be a registered caregiver with OFF. If you haven't yet registered, do that first and then you can apply for the Restorative Weekend. Applications will not be processed unless you are a registered with OFF.
Our restorative weekends are for veteran, military, and frontline family members and caregivers. The weekend provides a focus on the mental health of the family member/caregiver through evidence-based workshops and techniques.
We will have interactive workshops that focus on a variety of topics that surround you - self-care, identity, mental health, boundaries, suicide, and resiliency. Please understand while we hope you find a moment to yourself so you can reset- we will not have much down time nor will this be a getaway for the you to isolate. We want to provide you with tools so that when you return home you are better equipped to navigate this journey we are all on together. We also hope you find a solid foundation and a wonderful tribe to ensure your resiliency.
If selected for the Restorative Weekend, you will be asked to submit a $100 deposit to secure your spot, which will be refunded to you during the last evening of the event. If you fail to show up for the Restorative Weekend, your deposit will not be returned to you unless there is proof of a medical emergency. If this presents a problem to you financially, we have a very limited amount of scholarships available. Please reach out to us at info@operationfrontlinefamilies.org.
Click here to see a short video photo library of our Restorative Weekend in Weatherford, TX
Testimonials
I had such an amazing time at the WWP and COH restorative weekend! They reiterated tools I haven’t used in awhile and also learned new tools. While it’s never easy talking about my trauma, it was effortless with this group. They’ve shown me that I AM worth enough to take care of myself by working through my traumas and that I’m worthy enough for a tribe. There was so much love and support before we were at the retreat, helping to ensure I had care for my veteran when it was cancelled 6 days previous. This was LIFE CHANGING for myself and my home. I’m forever grateful.
I signed up hoping to gain some information on reducing stress, managing a household with a wounded warrior, also tools for my daily life. I gained so much more. I had the opportunity to connect with other caregivers. We shared our stories and found we shared similar struggles as well. It was extremely validating. Problems that are ignored by many around us were understood in this space. Many of us lack a support system. I gained one at the retreat.
The thing that stands out the most is we introduced ourselves at the beginning of the retreat. I think all of us could not describe ourselves without including our children and/or significant others. At the end of the retreat we all were able to say who we truly were. I am forever grateful to you for this. I changed so much in those four days. I came home feeling refreshed. I had the most productive day I’d had in a long time. My husband even made appointments to improve his mental health. I am no longer burnt out and I don’t feel such resentment.
It's very easy to forget that you aren't alone on this journey and this weekend helped remind me in a tangible way that while it may not be the exact same journey, we're all toiling up the same mountain. Probably the most significant thing was the time spent working on figuring out who we are as individuals, not as caregivers, wives, partners, mothers, employees, or workers. I learned that I have no idea who I am and I haven't known for a very long time. Instead I've thrown myself into my titles rather than figuring out my own identity. I've been home less than 24 hours, and my husband and my children have all observed that "Some of your spark is back." We, as caregivers, NEED these kinds of events in ways I can not even begin to explain. Just a few months ago a caregiver I know personally took their own life because they felt like they had no other option. Getting good, informed mental health care is incredibly difficult for caregivers. Events like this are a lifeline. I've been on the edge for months. This event helped me remember that my tribe is out there, maybe not here where I would like them to be, but in Pennsylvania and Ohio and Michigan and Indiana and New York. There is hope and you're not alone. Those are the two biggest takeaways for me from this weekend and I can honestly say, they may have saved my life.
